Time Waits for No One
by jasg
Summary: Teddy admits to cheating on Rayna with Peggy when the pictures are released. What will this mean for Rayna's life?
1. Chapter 1

Rayna is sitting in a chair in the corner of the bedroom that she has shared with Teddy. Her face is serious. Teddy paces back and forth in front of her, running his hands through his hair. He glances at her nervously, knowing that she is getting ready to explode. She has seen the incriminating pictures of him and Peggy.

"Well, Teddy, it certainly looks like there is something going on between the two of you," Rayna says, keeping her voice level.

Teddy looks around the room nervously, as if he is looking for an escape route. He doesn't want to tell Rayna the truth. He doesn't want to ruin his marriage. He would rather just avoid this confrontation all together. He has seen Rayna angry many times and he would like to avoid her wrath.

"Rayna," he starts, his voice failing him as he looks at her face.

She looks him directly in the eye. She already knows the truth. She can see it in his demeanor. They have been drifting apart for years. Part of her doesn't blame him for cheating but the other part is outraged at the thought. She has avoided cheating on him throughout their entire marriage, even though there have been many times when she has wanted to. She has always intentionally kept her distance from the only man that could have convinced her to stray. Apparently, the effort has been worthless. All of the hard work she has done to preserve her relationship with Teddy means nothing now. It angers her that he has given into temptation, when she has stared temptation in the face for 14 years and denied it.

"You need to leave, Teddy," she demands firmly.

Teddy knows that there is no use in arguing with her. He looks down at his feet, ashamed at himself for destroying his marriage. Rayna shows no sympathy. She will not be taken advantage of. She is strong and she will not lose her pride by allowing him to stay.

"Is that it then, Rayna?" he asks timidly.

Rayna rolls her eyes at him. She can't believe that he is even asking her that question. Maybe he should have thought about the consequences when he was sleeping with Peggy.

"Yes, Teddy. That's it," she replies.

He avoids making eye contact with her. He doesn't want to see the anger in her eyes. He doesn't want to see that she hasn't even shed a single tear. He knows that if he looks at her, he will see the truth glaring back at him. He knows that looking at her will confirm one of his biggest fears: that she only ever loved him because he was the exact opposite of the man that she truly loves above all others.

"I'm sorry, Rayna. I never wanted this to happen," he says in defeat.

Rayna shakes her head. His apology is not enough. Their marriage has been over for a long time. This incident is just the final straw.

Teddy doesn't wait for a reply. He grabs a bag and throws some of his things into it. After he is packed, he glances at Rayna one last time. He wishes things had been different from the beginning. He wishes that they could have figured things out. Unfortunately, he knows that he has succumbed to temptation and that she has always loved someone else. He knows that there is no fixing things this time. He takes a deep breath and leaves the room.

Rayna stares at the wall quietly while Teddy is gathering his things. When she hears the door close, she looks up and sees that she is alone. She sighs. She has always known that their marriage was going to end one day but she is still surprised that Teddy cheated on her with Peggy. In all honesty, the thought does sting. At the same time, Rayna feels relieved. There will be no more wondering and stressing about the state of her marriage. Instead, she will finally be able to breathe without worrying that it may ruin things between her and Teddy. She can spend time with Deacon without Teddy questioning her fidelity. She can finally stop walking on eggshells and just live her life.

Her thoughts drift to the girls and her heart sinks. She doesn't want to disappoint her daughters. She doesn't want to upset them. She hopes that they will be okay in the midst of this hardship. They both adore the ground that Teddy walks on and Rayna knows that this will be hard on them. How are they going to react to the news?

Suddenly, another thought pops into Rayna's mind. How will Deacon react to the news? Will he be happy about it? Or will he react with indifference? Both reactions are equally worrisome to her. If he is happy about it, he will try to get her back but she doesn't think that this is the right time to be starting a serious relationship with Deacon. If he doesn't even care, Rayna knows that it will be hurtful. She wants him to want her. She needs him to need her. She doesn't know what she will do if he doesn't even care. In fact, she doesn't want to think about it at all.


	2. Chapter 2

Rayna stands in front of the kitchen counter, running her hands through her hair. She has avoided going out in public. She hasn't told anyone about her divorce yet and she doesn't want to have to answer any awkward questions. She doesn't want to be reminded of her failed marriage at all. It hurts her to see the girls acting down because of the news. She wishes that things could have been different. She wishes that she could have loved Teddy more and that he could have remained faithful. She thinks back to her past. Her mistakes suffocate her. Part of her hates herself for what she has put them all through. Her decisions have affected Teddy, Maddie, Daphne, and Deacon. They have hurt all of the people that she loves. She cringes at the thought. Her heart aches in pain at her failures. She wants to turn back the clock. She wants to fix everything that she has ruined. More than anything, she wants a chance to make things right.

"Hey girls," Rayna says as she sees them enter the kitchen.

The girls are noticeably quieter than usual. Their heads are down and they don't look up at her as they walk into the room. Rayna can tell that they are still feeling down about the divorce. She knows that they are taking the news very hard. She knows that they never saw it coming.

"Hey Mom," they respond softly, keeping their eyes down.

Seeing them like this breaks Rayna's heart even more. She wants to fix things for them. She wants to make it all better.

"Are you ready for school?" she asks them, trying to distract them from their thoughts.

"Yeah. My class is going to the zoo today," Daphne tells her.

Rayna can see that the thought helps to pull her younger daughter out of her funk. Daphne actually looks excited about going to the zoo. Rayna thinks that the field trip has come at the perfect time.

"What about you, Maddie?" she questions, turning to face her other daughter.

Maddie shrugs, appearing uninterested.

"Same thing as always, I guess," she murmurs.

Even though the sight breaks her heart, Rayna tries to act cheerful for the sake of her daughters. She knows that she must be strong for them. She must make them feel comfortable with the situation.

"Well I included a little something extra in your lunches today," Rayna tells them, her voice sounding overly happy.

"Thanks, Mom," Daphne says with a smile.

Rayna is glad to see her youngest daughter acting more cheerful. The events of the morning have successfully distracted Daphne from thinking about the divorce.

"Yeah, thanks," Maddie replies, attempting to smile.

She hopes that Maddie will be okay but her demeanor really worries Rayna. Maddie is not acting like herself at all. She hopes that Maddie will begin to heal over time.

Rayna continues to worry about her daughters as she sees them make their way out of the house. Teddy is waiting for them in the driveway, ready to drive them to school. She watches as Daphne greets her father with a hug. She sees that Maddie is avoiding making eye contact with Teddy. Instead of greeting him kindly, she opens the door and gets into the car without saying a single word. Rayna sighs. She hates this for Maddie. She wants to change things for her. She wants to go back in time and fix her biggest mistake.

Rayna's phone buzzes. She looks down and sees that she has message from Bucky.

_Meet me at the Bluebird tonight at 8. We have some business to discuss._

Rayna takes a deep breath. She knew she would have to leave the house sooner or later but she has no desire to leave her safety zone. She doesn't want to face the world or face her friends. She wants to go upstairs, crawl into her bed, and curl up into a little ball. She wants to run away from dealing with her messed up life. She knows that it will be hard on her and she knows that it will change everything. She realizes that she has no choice. She must be an adult. She must face her problems head on and hope for the best. She is no longer that wild-eyed young woman. She is an established country music singer with two daughters. She cannot afford to fall apart. She walks up the stairs to her room, deciding that it is time to pull herself together and face the music.


	3. Chapter 3

"Yes, Bucky, I'll be there in five minutes," Rayna says into her phone.

"Okay, Rayna. See ya soon," he replies before hanging up.

She is on her way to the Bluebird. Bucky wants to have some kind of meeting with her to make arrangements for her upcoming tour. Ever since Teddy admitted to cheating on her, things have been very hectic for her. Since her daughters are still attempting to process the information, she has not told anyone about the divorce outside of her family. Teddy has kept it equally quiet. They want to expose the news to the public when the girls have gotten used to everything.

Rayna wants to prolong the secrecy for as long as possible. She isn't ready for it to be all over the TV, magazines, Internet sites, and newspapers. She knows that she will only be constantly reminded of her failure as soon as the media finds out about the divorce.

Her thoughts have occupied her so much that she almost misses the turn for the Bluebird. She turns the wheel quickly and pulls into the parking lot. After she checks her appearance in the rearview mirror, she walks into the building. She glances around, trying to find Bucky. She finds him. He is sitting on the other side of the room. As she walks towards him, she realizes that he is not alone.

"Hey y'all," Rayna greets cheerfully.

Bucky looks up from the paper that he has been reviewing.

"Hey, Rayna. Ready to work?" he asks her.

Rayna nods. The other man who is sitting at the table distracts her from answering Bucky more fully. Her heart beats faster as Deacon looks up and meets her gaze. They look at each other silently until Bucky's voice pulls them from their thoughts.

"Sit down, Rayna. I have something to discuss with you," he tells her.

She sits down at his request but keeps her eyes on Deacon. This is the first time she has seen him since her decision to get a divorce. He looks amazingly handsome. His cool demeanor, toned muscles, sexy facial hair, and beautiful eyes leave her breathless. She takes the time to really look at him for the first time in years and she instantly realizes why she had avoided it for so long. Even after all of this time, he still makes her knees go weak.

"What're you doin here?" she asks Deacon curiously.

Deacon shrugs. He is trying not to betray his emotions. For him, her presence is a reminder of everything that he has lost. Just looking at her reminds him of how badly he messed up his life. Every time he sees her, he is hit by the fact that he lost the only woman he has ever loved. Even after 14 years, the thought still stings.

"Bucky called me and said he wanted to talk to us together," he replies casually.

This news interests Rayna. What does Bucky want to talk to them about?

"Let's get to business," Bucky says, ready to answer Rayna's questioning look. "Rayna, there have been a lot of people who have auditioned to be your new guitar player but you have turned them all down. We're running out of time. The tour is starting soon. I think Deacon is the only musician who can live up to your standards so if you want to have a good guitar player for your tour then y'all need to work everything out."

Bucky's suggestion takes Rayna by surprise. This is the last thing she had been expecting. Since firing him, she has truly missed playing with Deacon, writing with Deacon, and discussing music with Deacon. Rayna sighs. She wants Deacon to be her guitar player. Truthfully, it doesn't feel right without him. At the same time, she isn't sure that it is a good idea. Once Deacon learns of the divorce, everything will change. They will have to navigate uncharted waters. For the first time in 14 years, there will be no visible barriers that are keeping them apart. Rayna isn't sure how it will affect things but she is worried that it will complicate everything.

Then again, Rayna would love for Deacon to join her on tour. It would be comforting to have him with her as she embarks on this new journey. For her, it is extremely hard to separate Deacon and music. In her mind, they have always gone together. She also knows that she can trust him as her guitar player. He knows her songs just as well as she does. Hell, he even helped her write most of them.

"I don't know, Buck. What do you think, Deacon?" she questions.

Deacon looks at her briefly. For a moment, Rayna thinks that she sees a flicker of hope in his eyes but it disappears so quickly that she wonders if she imagined it.

"It's up to you, Ray," Deacon answers nonchalantly.

She looks at Deacon, trying to decipher what he is thinking. He looks back at her calmly. She doesn't understand how he can look so collected in a moment like this. Her answer may very well decide their future for them. She knows what she wants to say but she wonders if it is the right choice.

"Okay, Bucky. You're right. Deacon is the best option," she responds, momentarily pushing her worries to the side.

Bucky claps his hands together in excitement.

"Great! I'll leave you two here to talk things out. I'll call you later with details," he replies as he gets up to leave.

Neither Rayna nor Deacon says anything for a few minutes. They are unsure of where to start. Rayna decides that it is best to be honest and reveal everything to him, before they start working together again. She knows that she can trust Deacon to keep it a secret until the time is right.

"I'm getting a divorce," she blurts out.

Deacon looks at her in surprise. He can't believe what he has just heard. Rayna is getting a divorce. The knowledge makes his heart beat louder in his chest.

"When did that happen?" he asks.

"The other night. Teddy was cheating on me. I told him to leave," she explains.

Deacon's jaw tightens. He is angry with Teddy for hurting Rayna.

"I always hated that asshole. You deserve better, Ray," he tells her.

She smiles at him softly. She knows the real meaning behind his last statement but she decides that it is safer to act like she doesn't.

"Thanks, Deacon."

"How are you doin with everything?" he asks in concern.

"I'm okay. At least, I will be. I'll be happy to get out of Nashville for a while," she answers.

Deacon nods. He reaches out and grabs her hand, trying to show his support for her.

"You'll figure it out, Ray. You always do," he says comfortingly.

Rayna nods her head before pulling her hand away from his.

"Anyway, we should talk business for a minute. Are we gonna be able to do this tour together?" Rayna says, changing the topic.

"I don't see why not," Deacon responds.

"Okay, then I'll see you when we leave," she replies, getting up from the table quickly.

"You wanna stay a while longer and talk?" Deacon asks.

"Deacon, I really should go," she answers.

She wants to stay and talk with him for hours but she knows that she has other responsibilities now. She can't just give into her every whim. She needs to have self-control and the only way that she can ever resist Deacon is if she keeps her distance from him. She knows that keeping this meeting brief is best for both of them. She glances at him briefly before leaving the room.


End file.
